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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 2, 2015)
FRIDAY EXCHANGE THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015 A positive note O regonians can start the new year on a pos- itive note. For 2014, Oregon has been rat- ed the least corrupt state in our country, where corruption in our government starts with the ernment body all the way through. But Oregon — the least corrupt state in this U.S. That gives me hope, and in the last election, Oregon voters turned out in very high num- bers. Isn’t that great? The Democrats in Ore- gon (I am not a Democrat — but to give credit where credit is due) are said to be responsible for a voter law where voters can check to see if their ballot was counted. If it was not, the voters have time to rectify it. Democracy starts where everybody has a voice in their government, right? Despite more than $20 million spent to defeat Measure 92 AP Photo/Jean Marc Herve Abelard Relatives walk to a hilltop, where they will place a cross, in remembrance of those family members who died in the 2010 earthquake, prior to a memorial service in Titanyen, north of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan. 12. Haitians paused to remember the tens of thousands of people who died in the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck outside Haiti’s capital on Jan. 12, 2010. The quake left 1.5 million people living in tent camps. Officials say more than 300,000 died, but no one knows for certain how many people lost their lives. Scrooges of the World, Begone! By NICHOLAS KRISTOF New York Times News Service So bear this in mind: Fewer children worldwide are starving or dying of disease now than at any time in recorded history. P ORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI — Merry Christmas! Yet in this season of hope and holiday cheer, Haiti might not seem the obvious place to celebrate. earthquake here, this country symbolizes poverty and hopelessness to many ing is now widespread. Americans. That despair and “In the old days, these kids disdain are misguided. Haitian would be dead,” Dr. Margareth Mal- politics are still a mess, and let told me as she showed me around a ward treating severely malnour- poverty is deep-rooted, but the ished children at a clinic here in the economy is rising, more children capital, Port-au-Prince. Now they’re are going to school, and health is revived with a peanut-based paste or improving. other supplements. That, in turn, is emblematic of There has also been a push to a broader truth that we journalists encourage Haitian moms to breast- Nicholas don’t acknowledge often enough: In feed, because that’s regarded by Kristof many ways, the world is becoming a nutrition experts as one of the most better place. There! I said it. cost-effective ways to save lives in Bad news is news, and good news isn’t. We poor countries (globally, an estimated 800,000 cover planes that crash, not those that take off. children die annually because of problems with But a relentless focus on bad news unfortunate- breast-feeding). ly leads people to conclude that places from In 1970, almost a quarter of Haitian children Haiti to Congo are hopeless, driving away tour- ists, investors and donors. So, at least once a year, it’s worth stepping back and acknowledg- years ago, one fewer child dies each hour. ing progress. That’s particularly true because 2015 will be dren will survive, they also have fewer of them. a crucial year for efforts to combat global pov- In 2005, the average woman in Haiti could be the global vaccine initiative that is saving lives on a huge scale, the African Union plans to fo- cus on women’s empowerment, and the U.N. General Assembly in September is expected to agree on new “sustainable development goals” that will provide metrics for progress for many years to come. So bear this in mind: Fewer children world- wide are starving or dying of disease now than at any time in recorded history, and more chil- dren are in school. Here in Haiti, too many people are still homeless from the earthquake. But, in the last few years, the economy has been growing more quickly than the U.S. economy. A U.S.-backed effort to support garment culture, which may be the best hope for Haiti’s economic future, is improving in some import- ant sectors. ers to use greenhouses and is supported by the United States as part of the Feed the Future initiative. One farmer, Michel Dorlean, told me that, with greenhouses, he has tripled produc- tion of chrysanthemums. “You come back, and this hillside will be covered with greenhouses,” he predicted. New York will eventually be exported from Haiti. Health care likewise shows basic improve- ments. More than 4 out of 5 Haitian children get some childhood immunizations. Deworm- is about three births per woman. None of this is to gloss over the remain- ing challenges: At least 2 billion people are malnourished worldwide, according to the In- ternational Food Policy Research Institute in Washington. Isn’t this season supposed to be about some- thing more profound than shopping and Christ- mas trees? So I’d suggest that the successes against poverty should stimulate us to do more — and some steps are remarkably simple. Consider iodization of salt. When a pregnant woman doesn’t get enough iodine, her baby’s brain doesn’t develop proper- ly. Iodize the salt and, years later, children will do better in school and will have higher IQs. Another nutritional triumph: that orange sweet potato on your plate. It’s the Mother Te- resa of foods, a treasure of vitamin A in par- ticular. It could prevent blindness or death for millions of children suffering from vitamin A ternational are helping farmers grow it in poor countries. Good for Michelle Obama for grow- ing sweet potatoes in the White House garden this year to encourage their use worldwide. The orange sweet potato is gaining ground, and hunger and sickness are retreating. So tuck into your meal. Join the holiday cheer. The world still has its problems, but as an incentive to do more, let’s acknowledge some reasons for joy. TOWN HALL RIVERFRONT VISION PLAN - BRIDGE VISTA AREA Tuesday, January 6, 2015 6pm to 8pm Holiday Inn Express, Riverview Room #2 204 West Marine Drive Please join us to discuss preliminary strategies for updating the City’s development code to implement the Riverfront Vision Plan for properties in the Bridge Vista area. Recommendations will include possible changes in allowed land uses; revised provisions re- lated to building heights, sizes and setbacks; design standards and guidelines for future new developments and major renovations; and possible changes to requirements associated with landscaping and off-street parking areas associated with future development. City Staff and Consultants will make a brief presentation at 6:15pm, followed by Q&A and comments. Light refreshments will be provided. Bridge Vista Area almost passed, and probably would have if all votes were counted. I am really in awe of the Oregon voter. Oh, by the way Fortune maga- zine calculated that corruption in the U.S. costs each family $1,308 every year. I am so glad to live in Oregon. Reading through our local newspapers shows many putting their time and energy into solving real problems that we have to face in the coming years. My energy for the new year is going to educate myself about public banking, the bet- public banking. I would like to mention corruption has a hard time gaining a foothold when everybody turns out to vote. The more voters cast their ballot, the less corruption has a chance. DIXIE GAINER Nehalem Calling Robin Hood W here is Robin Hood when you need him, to rob from the rich and give to the poor? N. GLARUM Warrenton We are not Scrooged I t is a Christmas story told: We are not Scrooged after all. The past 10 years have been full of meetings, letters and protests. A Christmas present, at last, for all the good people of Clatsop County — a future with no LAREE JOHNSON Astoria America’s New Year bonus A ll this concern, all this blathering ink fretting that the poor oil-drillers may not be able to drill profitably below $50 a barrel. No. Say it isn’t so. Has Chicken Little become a business reporter? With oil falling to $55 a barrel, we will soon see gas for less than $2.20 a gallon. Maybe lower. Unless you are self employed, your fuel is bought with after-tax dollars. Let’s calculate your savings. You drive 60 miles a day. Your car gets 22 miles to the gallon. You were paying $3.40 a gallon last year and you will be paying $2.20. That’s $1.20 a gallon times 2.7 gallons, which equals $3.24 a day times 365 days, which equals $1,181.60. That’s only 21,900 miles a year. 5A Keep the views B e prepared to lose walking along a special section of the Riverwalk to enjoy the views and history of the river. This is the section between Second Street and the bridge, about which the Planning Commission has been holding study ses- sions on the Bridge Vista plan, to talk about what will be allowed to be built over the Columbia River. They are proposing hotels, motels, multifamily buildings, restaurants, as well as a convention center be allowed to be built on the north side of the trolley tracks and over the water. According to The Dai- ly Astorian (“Keep Astor West historic,” Dec. 22), the next Planning Commission study session at which you can express your views will be at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 27, but there will be an important town hall meeting Tuesday, which all who read this should attend, and bring a friend. This spe- cial meeting for you on the Bridge Vista Area of the Riverfront Vision Plan will be held at the Holiday Inn Express from 6 to 8 p.m. What they will not show you are pic- tures of the trolley with buildings on both sides of the tracks making a tunnel of buildings — even though pictures of this are in the Riverfront Vision Plan. They will explain that building over the river is necessary to provide jobs, but the meeting is being held in an example of a building which is south of the trolley tacks and pro- viding jobs. Most of the proposed over- water structures allowed under this plan could/should be built south of the trolley tracks, and hopefully you will tell them that. I encourage all of you to walk the Riverwalk starting at the Ship Inn, and passing Stephanie’s Cabin to the Hol- iday Inn Express. Enjoy the vistas and the river traffic. Some believe all that needs to be offered is a few points like at the end of 14th Street, where you walk out to enjoy the river and return to the Riverwalk. I hope you will attend both meetings and explain that the existing views we now have should not be compromised, because they are what brings people, and therefore jobs, to Astoria. These majestic views are also something we all enjoy — no mater our income level. GEORGE HAGUE Astoria In Oregon, we pay federal and state in- come tax on that, so we had to earn about $1,900 on average to have that $1,181 to spend. And that hits entry-level taxpayers equal to everyone else. Better than a target- ed tax credit. Now, if high-energy-dependent compa- nies would quickly pass on their savings as well (parcel deliveries, airlines, transporta- tion, plastics, fertilizers, electricity), imag- ine our collective relief. We’re all getting a bonus this year. I love this country. WAYNE MAYO Scappoose Visit us online at www.DailyAstorian.com You Tube The Finnish Brotherhood & Sisterhood Auxiliary, of Suomi Hall Lodge #2, Astoria, OR, would like to thank the Community for the extraordinary support of the 2 nd Annual Lutefisk Holiday Event, held on December 6 th , 2014. Special Thanks to: Astoria Coffee Company Ronni Harris Bridgewater Bistro Columbia Produce Cathie at Erickson’s Floral Dana Gunderson Clatsop Distributing Cannery Pier Hotel Josephson’s Smokehouse Andy Carlson Columbia River Maritime Museum Finn Ware M & N Workwear Leila Collier Oja Tree Farm Sven Sundstrom Stephanie’s Cabin Jorgen Madsen Blue Scorcher Bakery Steve Phillips One Six Five West Bond Wilho Saari 2014 Miss Finland: Kaylee Nyberg Home Baking Company And to the Members of the UFKB&S Lodge #2 Kiitos! (Thank-You!) Onnellista Uutto Vuotta! (Happy New Year!)